U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field a.k.a. "The Cell" (formerly New Comiskey Park) is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at Comiskey Park. The new park, completed at a cost of $167 million, also opened with the Comiskey Park name, but became U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 after U.S. Cellular bought the naming rights for $68 million over 20 years. It hosted the MLB All-Star Game that same year. A few sportscasters, though, continue to use the former name, New Comiskey Park. The stadium is in Armour Square, a neighborhood of the city, though it is usually associated with Bridgeport, the adjacent neighborhood. It is at 35th Street and Shields Avenue. It was built in the parking lot of old Comiskey Park, which was torn down and became a parking lot for the current field. A few design features from the old park were retained including the "exploding scoreboard", which lights up in color when a White Sox player hits a home run and the Sox Shower where fans can cool off during games. To avoid obstructed viewing, the upper deck was set back over the lower deck. The lowest row of seats in the upper deck at the new stadium is actually farther from the field than the highest row of seats in the upper deck at the old stadium was. The stadium was the last built before the recent wave of new "retro" stadiums. In response to fan complaints, the stadium has undergone numerous renovations since its opening in order to retrofit the facility to current architectural trends. These new features have included building a multi-tiered concourse beyond center field, adjusting the field of play to create asymmetrical fences and, most significantly the removal of the most distant seats at the top of the upper deck, and the addition of a new roof. The uppermost story of the park now has a white and black screen behind the top row of seats and is topped by a flat canopy roof supported by poles that obstruct the view of a few seats. To give the park a "retro" feel the roof has black steel truss supports. The original blue seats are also being replaced by wider forest green seats. The new green and black color scheme, upper level screen set back from the outer wall and canopy roof resembles the old Comiskey Park as well as other classic baseball stadiums. The White Sox have also added murals to the interior concourses, a prominent feature of the old stadium. The stadium contains 84 luxury suites located on two levels, as well as thousands of club seats on a mezzanine between the lower deck and upper deck. There is also a fan deck in the bleachers where you can find your pitching speed and cool off under a fountain. Renovations In 2001, extensive renovations were started to make the park more 'fan-friendly', and less sterile: Headline text Phase I (2001 season) * Three rows of seats were added along the field between the dugouts and the foul poles. * Bullpens were moved and replaced with additional bleachers. * Distances to the outfield wall were changed, most noticeably down the foul lines, where the bullpens and the Bullpen Sports Bar are now located. * Batter's eye in center field was redesigned. * Restaurant was added in the outfield. *The park cost about $167 million to build Phase II (2002 season) * Old backstop was replaced with a new one that allows foul balls to drop. * Improvements were made to the main and club level concourses. * Scoreboard and video boards were upgraded. * Fan deck was added. Phase III (2003 season) * New center field video board and LED "ribbon" boards were added. * Outfield/Upper Deck Concourse upgrades were made. * Fan Deck in center field was added. * Ballpark was painted and stained. * Phase III renovations cost approximately $20 million. Phase IV (2004 season) * Upper Deck Seating Area - Eight rows and 6,600 seats were removed from the top of ballpark's upper deck. * A flat roof, elevated 20 feet above the seating area, has replaced the old roof. * Upper Deck Concourse was enclosed from the weather by a translucent wall. * Fan Deck in center field upgraded to feature tiered seating and standing room. * Lower Terrace balcony added to provide an additional party area and outdoor seating. * Phase IV renovations cost approximately $28 million. Phase V (2005 season) * 314-seat "Scout" seating area directly behind home plate added. * FUNdamentals, an area for kids, was added above the left field concourse. * Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the Club level, bleachers and some scattered areas around home plate. Phase VI (2006 season) * Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the entire Upper deck and the Lower Deck between the dugouts. External links * Ballpark Digest Visit to U.S. Cellular Field * Brief History of U.S. Cellular Field * [http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cws/ballpark/index.jsp Official site at whitesox.com] Category:Major League Baseball ballparks Category:Major League Baseball All-Star Game venues Category:Chicago White Sox ballparks Category:Ballparks Category:Baseball venues in Illinois